Assam Suspends Five Agriculture Officers Over Registry Failures

Guwahati: Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika benched five agriculture development officers in Hailakandi on October 29. The mass suspension follows a review meeting with the Director of Agriculture. Officials ruled that the officers failed to push the Farmer Registry program forward.

The state found progress in the district was "severely negligible." Very few Farmer IDs had been created. The department tasked the group with running enrolment camps and mobilizing local farmers. Instead, investigators found the staff skipped field work for days. They ignored their duty to supervise the drive.

The suspended officers include Rajibul Hoque Mullah from Lala, Priyanku Mazumder from Lala Bazar, and Madhurjya Hazarika from Boalipar. Akashdeep Karigapsa of Hailakandi and Aditya Bezbaruah of Katlichara also face charges. The department issued these orders under Rule 6(1) of the Assam Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1964.

These workers are now attached to the District Agriculture Officer in Hailakandi. They cannot leave their headquarters without express permission. The state also barred them from taking outside jobs or business roles during the probe. The Farmer Registry is a joint venture between India and Assam to build a digital database for farmers.